Sizewell B station director Jim Crawford and new Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey join Peasenhall Primary School pupil Laura Robinson and EDF Energy’s Niki Spatchett to plant trees for Green Britain Day.
18 June 2010
Suffolk school pupils have been doing their bit for the environment by planting trees to celebrate Green Britain Day.
Around 90 pupils from Castle Hill Infant School in Dryden Road, Ipswich helped to plant 50 saplings including Oak, Hawthorn and Cherry, which were supplied by EDF Energy for their Green Britain Day challenge.
EDF Energy also supplied trees and compost to Bentley, Peasenhall and Yoxford Primary schools. At Peasenhall Primary School new Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey and Sizewell B’s station director Jim Crawford joined the children to help with the planting.
Staff from EDF Energy Networks, based in Fore Hamlet, Ipswich, planted trees at Castle Hill Infants and Bentley Primary School as part of the company’s Helping Hands scheme, which gives staff two paid days a year to volunteer in the community.
Pupils from Castle Hill Infants School with staff from EDF Energy Networks get ready to plant some trees.
Once the saplings have reached two years old at Castle Hill, they will then be replanted in the community, either in the pupils’ gardens or at the Castle Hill community allotments.
Kay Clifford is Castle Hill Infant School’s reception class teacher and is also the healthy school’s co-ordinator. She said environmental issues are very important at Castle Hill, which is an eco-school with activities lead by teacher Eileen Allpress. Mrs Clifford said: “The children at Castle Hill are very aware of green issues. Days like today with Green Britain Day, really raise the profile and helps the children do something practical.
“It is important that children as young as four learn about the issues as it is their future. They need to start acting responsibly for the good of the planet and that is our belief throughout the school.”
As well as tree planting, the school is getting involved in other activities including a bike day and wearing green clothes to highlight Green Britain Day.
Green Britain Day is a day of celebration for Team Green Britain, a growing movement of hundreds of thousands of people and groups brought together by EDF Energy, through a shared commitment to lowering Britain’s carbon footprint. EDF Energy, the UK’s largest producer of low carbon electricity, has worked with London 2012, the Eden Project, Global Action Plan, and Eco-Schools to organise a summer of activities to inspire people to live a lower carbon lifestyle.
More than 9,000 schools across the country have signed up to EDF Energy’s Programme for Greener Schools at www.jointhepod.org and EDF Energy wants Green Britain Day to inspire them to become more sustainable.
Clive Steed, sustainability manager for EDF Energy said: “It is great to see so many children in Suffolk getting involved in Green Britain Day in this way.
“We can only overcome climate change by working together and it is so important for children to learn about looking after our planet while they are young. Our aim, working alongside Eco-Schools through the Pod is to educate 2.5million school children to leave a legacy of care and action against climate change.”
This year, Danielle Lineker, Lauren Laverne and Jamelia have joined forces with EDF Energy, Olympic and Paralympic Ambassadors including 15-year-old swimmer Ellie Simmonds and hundreds of thousands of Team Green Britain members to take part in a summer of fun activities and eco-trials. Be a part of Team Green Britain on Green Britain Day and join in a fun-filled summer of challenges to save energy and save money by visiting www.teamgreenbritain.org.
ENDS
For more information please contact Jessica Gallagher on 01473 266484 in the EDF Energy press office.
Notes to editors:
Green Britain Day
Team Green Britain was kicked off by EDF Energy, the UK’s largest producer of low carbon electricity, in partnership with London 2012, the Eden Project, Global Action Plan, and Eco-Schools. It is a growing group of people all across Britain doing what they can to reduce their carbon footprint by changing their lives in ways which are better for them and the environment.
Green Britain Day is a day each year where schools, communities, businesses and other motivated people showcase and celebrate what the Team are doing as an inspiration to the rest of the country to join us. This year, Green Britain Day was on June 17.
Through our Sustainability Commitments, EDF Energy has launched the biggest environmental programme to tackle climate change of any UK energy company. In these commitments, we have pledged to reduce the intensity of carbon emissions from our power plants by 60% and to lower the proportion of carbon arising from our customers’ energy consumption by 15% by 2020.
As well as reducing the carbon intensity of our emissions, EDF Energy has a social and ethical responsibility to encourage the next generation of environmental guardians to take action against climate change. This is why EDF Energy has worked with Eco-Schools to set up “the Pod”, which aims to educate 2.5 million school children about sustainable living by 2012.
For information about Team Green Britain go to www.teamgreenbritain.org and the Pod www.jointhepod.org
EDF Energy
EDF Energy is one of the UK’s largest energy companies, producing around one-fifth of the nation's electricity from its nuclear, coal and gas power stations, as well as combined heat and power plants and wind farms. The company provides power to a quarter of the UK’s population via its electricity distribution networks and supplies gas and electricity to more than 5.5 million business and residential customers. It is the number one supplier of electricity to major business in the UK.
EDF Energy’s safe and secure operation of its eight existing nuclear power stations at sites across the country makes it the UK’s largest generator of low carbon electricity. EDF Energy is also leading the UK's nuclear renaissance and has published plans to build four new nuclear reactors, subject to the right investment framework. These new plants would generate enough low carbon electricity for about 40% of Britain’s homes. They would make an important contribution to the UK’s future needs for clean, secure and affordable energy. The project is already creating business and job opportunities for British companies and workers.
EDF is the official energy utilities partner and sustainability partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The company is also helping its customers and others use energy more sustainably through products and initiatives such as Read, Reduce, Reward and Team Green Britain.
EDF Energy is part of EDF Group, one of Europe’s largest power companies. Following the integration with British Energy in 2009, the company employs nearly 20,000 people at locations across the UK.